Verity Kept Its Book Ending, But Only Just, Director Says
The film version of Verity kept its book's divisive ending, but only just. Director Michael Showalter told Variety on 2 October 2026 that working out the final scene was the biggest challenge on the production and the last job completed on the picture, which was then playing in theatres.
The thriller is adapted from Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel and stars Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway, Showalter said in the same interview. Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer hired to ghostwrite the remaining books of injured novelist Verity Crawford, meaning she finishes them in secret under another name. Hathaway plays Verity, with Josh Hartnett as her husband Jeremy.
Spoiler warning for readers who have not read the book or seen the film. The screen version closes with a pregnant Lowen and Jeremy driving off together as Lowen concludes the truth about Verity will remain a mystery, according to Variety. The ending is deliberately ambiguous, a point noted by the Associated Press after the film's London premiere in late September.
One large change was made in the move from page to screen. The adaptation eliminates one of the dead children from Hoover's novel, Variety reported. Hoover advised on the film and called that cut the best change we could have made.
Hoover has said the process shifted her own thinking. She told E! News in September that making the movie made her rethink the book's ending. Johnson described the story as one that puts truth and trust to the test, much like real life, in comments reported by Reuters on 24 September.
On the business side, the opening looks strong. Variety reported on 2 October that Verity was predicted to win its box office opening weekend, which would give Hathaway her third No. 1 film of the year. Earlier tracking reported by Variety in May had pointed to a 35 million US dollar debut at the domestic box office, the United States and Canada.
Reviews are separate from ticket sales. Variety's critic called the film "a flat-footed dud."
What makes this stand out for book fans is how little the central puzzle was altered despite that one family change. The film leaves viewers to decide what to believe about Verity, and Lowen's closing line keeps that question open as the car pulls away.
